According to the National Cancer Institute, bone cancer accounts for less than one percent of all cancers. While the exact cause of bone cancer remains a mystery, several factors have been associated with a heightened risk for developing the disease. However, it is important to note that the majority of individuals diagnosed with bone cancer have no known or apparent risk factors.
Bone Remodeling
According to the American Cancer society, "bone cancers are more common in children and young adults when bones grow rapidly." At puberty, sex hormones stimulate increased osteoblast activity and synthesis of bone matrix, leading to sudden growth spurts. Ultimately, the sex hormones shut down the growth at the end of the epiphyseal plates of long bones, which is the typical site of osteosarcoma.
Genetics
Two inherited syndromes are associated with the development of bone cancer: Li-Fraumeni syndrome and Rothmund-Thomson syndrome. According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a child of a parent with a mutation in the genes associated with Li-Fraumeni syndrome has a 50 percent chance of naturally inheriting that mutation. Retinoblastoma is a rare eye cancer seen in children and according to the National Cancer Institute, "children who have had hereditary retinoblastoma are at a higher risk of developing osteosarcoma, particularly if they are treated with radiation." Other predisposing hereditary conditions include multiple exostoses, and multiple enchondromatosis.
Other Conditions and Treatments
Paget's disease is a chronic disease of the skeleton and is a positive risk factor for bone cancer. Additionally, the American Cancer Society reports that children treated with alkylating agents or drugs to treat cancer, as well as undergoing radiation therapy for another cancer, may be at greater risk for osteosarcoma. According to a research study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, children given radiation therapy for cancer had a 2.7-fold risk for developing osteoscarcoma and a 40-fold risk with doses exceeding 6000 rad. They also found that risk for bone cancer increased 4.7- fold with the administration of alkylating agents. Additionally, osteosarcoma has been reported in individuals that have undergone a bone marrow transplant.
